Reliable Source

Johnston's going to have to hit the books. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

So you want to watch Levi Johnston run for office? First you'll have to watch him get his GED.

On Tuesday Johnston's manager, Tank Jones, announced that Bristol Palin's hockey-loving ex will run for mayor of his home town, Wasilla, Alaska, as part of a proposed reality series.

Today, that show has a name: "Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor's Office."
It also has a narrative arc. According to Canaan Rubin, a co-executive producer of the supposedly unscripted program, the show will follow Johnston as he hunts, fishes, and gets his life together. "Within the show he'll get his GED," says Rubin. As for his party affiliation, Johnston's campaign team -- which is led by Jones -- is still hashing that out. "Right now he's registered as a Republican. That's probably going to change, though. He'll be running as a conservative Democrat," explains Rubin. The press release holds some other, comforting information: "If elected, Levi promises to serve his full term."

Apparently Johnston, still in Los Angeles following his appearance at the Teen Choice Awards, already has his nose to the grind. "He's already starting to research issues," says Rubin. "He's like a sponge right now -- absorbing as much as he can about the process."

End Notes:

Expecting: Alt-rock diva Alanis Morissette, 36, is pregnant with her first child, Us Magazine reports. The dad: Souleye (real name Mario Treadway), 30, who married Morissette last May in a ceremony conducted at the couple's Los Angeles home.

On the box: It's pretty well established that the Manzari brothers can dance. The D.C.-bred teenage tap-dancing duo of John and Leo were recently seen in Arena Stage's production of "Sophisticated Ladies" alongside mentor Maurice Hines. Now a Fox rep has confirmed that brothers will perform Thursday night on the two-hour finale of "So You Think You Can Dance."

The Reliable Source is on vacation. The column will return on Aug. 23.

Fantasia Barrino, 2009. (Laura Mueller/FTWP)

All Levi, all the time
Levi Johnston's manager, Tank Jones, has confirmed that the Playgirl centerfold and Bristol Palin baby-daddy plans to run for city office in his home town of Wasilla, Alaska, as part of a proposed reality TV show, Associated Press reports. No, really. A Los Angeles-based production outfit, Stone and Co., confirmed that it is shooting a pilot episode with Johnston. The next mayoral election is in October 2011; Johnston (or other Wasillans) have until July to file.

Fantasia hospitalized
"American Idol" star Fantasia Barrino has been hospitalized following an overdose of aspirin and a sleeping aid, the Los Angeles Times reports. On Monday afternoon the singer, 26, was taken to a Charlotte hospital to receive treatment. The hospital trip was later confirmed by her manager, Brian Denkins. Earlier in the day, news broke regarding a lawsuit that accuses Barrino of breaking up a marriage. Her condition is said to be non-life-threatening.

Reunited: Van Halen's music publisher, Warner/Chappell, has announced that the hair-rock titans are recording a new album with long-estranged original lead singer, David Lee Roth. This isn't Roth's first time back in the picture (he toured with the group in 2008) but it will be the first time the singer has appeared on a full-blown, brand-new Van Halen record since the release of "1984," more than 25 years ago.

Splitting up: Actors Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson have decided to call it quits on their engagement, People reports. Apparently the couple couldn't handle the long-distance thing -- she lives in L.A., he lives in Canada. Christiansen, 29, and Bilson, 28, met on the set of "Jumper" in 2007 and got engaged in December of the following year.

The Reliable Source is on vacation. The column will return on Aug. 23.

Kobe Bryant snacked at W on Sunday. (John McDonnell/TWP)

-Sighted: Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant and former Washington Wizard LaRon Profit at the W's P.O.V. rooftop bar Sunday night. Bryant, in town to shoot hoops with the president, came in alone for a couple of drinks and a bite to eat. Profit dined separately with some friends.

DeGeneres and de Rossi, 2008. (AP/Chris Weeks)

- A Los Angeles court has granted Jennifer Aniston a restraining order against a man who allegedly traveled from Pennsylvania hoping to get some face time with the actress. Court filings say the man, Jason R. Peyton, was found with a roll of duct tape, a sharp object, and love letters addressed to the actress. The court granted Aniston a temporary restraining order on July 20 after police first detained Peyton, but now it's set in stone -- he'll have to stay away from Aniston and refrain from contacting her for the next three years.

-After two years of marriage to talk-show host and former "American Idol" judge Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi is finally switching over to her spouse's surname. In a petition filed Friday the actress, 37, asked a Los Angeles court to legally change her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres, People reports.

Reliable Source is out on vacation. We'll be publishing Names & Faces until Aug. 23, when the column will return. Got a tip? We still want it. E-mail reliablesource@washpost.com

Financial hot water is boiling in Dean's kitchen. (David Geisbrecht/Bravo)

Maybe "Top Chef" was the wrong kind of television show for Timothy Dean.

These days, the D.C.-bred restaurateur seems better suited for a legal drama. Last July Dean filed suit against developers at National Harbor, who he claims short-changed him on a $600,000 investment. This weekend Prime, the former cooking show contender's Baltimore-based steakhouse, popped up on a foreclosure auction list.

According to Jimmy Bell, one of Dean's attorneys, the sale isn't going to happen. "Tim Dean has talked to his banks, he's filing for chapter 11," says Bell. "This will give his businesses an opportunity to regroup." Bell says Dean will bounce back. "It's nothing different than Donald Trump has done. And Trump is still on top."

Reliable Source is out on vacation. We'll be publishing Names & Faces until Aug. 23, when the column will return. Got a tip? We still want it. E-mail reliablesource@washpost.com

The Salahis got served.

They were just supposed to be enjoying a get-together in their own honor, albeit an unsanctioned-by-Bravo premiere party on Thursday night at EFN nightclub. Minding their own party-loving business, as it were. Suddenly, one day after a faceoff with the formidable Whoopi Goldberg of "The View," the "Real Housewives of D.C." stars were presented with court papers by PR firm Brotman-Winter-Fried Communications, to whom they allegedly owe upwards of $15,000.

According to Steve Winter, the PR firm's president, the Salahis hired BWF back in 2008 to help promote their America's Polo cup. Then they allegedly skipped out on the tab. "It was an affidavit for debtors interrogatory," explained Winters. "It means they'll have to appear in court to discuss their financial means -- how they are capable of paying off the debt."

Apparently the affidavit did not come as welcome news. "The man we hired to serve the papers was able to get a moment with Tareq. He took the papers, then he dropped them," said Whitney Stringer, a BWF employee who accompanied the process server. A second attempt was no more well received -- Salahi dropped the papers again, then called security.

The rest of the "Real Housewives" cast -- who attended Bravo's official premiere party at the Madison Hotel -- were glad to get some distance from the couple. "I don't want to see them; I don't want to talk to them," Catherine Ommanney told Us Weekly. "I don't want to be associated with them."

It's time to ask the couple about how it went down, in case their view is somehow, well, different. The Salahis have a Facebook page, and after a query was sent to the e-mail address supplied for media inquiries, an alternate narrative came back in return. "Yes, they did get delivered a confidential offer from a media source willing pay for the photos & video of the Whoopi Goldberg situation," said the anonymous spokesperson for the couple. "The Salahis turned it down."

But wait, did they not understand what the documents contained? Presented with details regarding BWF's suit, the e-mailer claimed ignorance: "That's a first for today on that info. We are not aware of that, so unable to confirm. I would suspect that it is inaccurate."

-- Aaron Leitko

Read also:
"Real Housewives" real popular with viewers
Q&A; with Mary Amons (chat transcript)
The Washington Post's coverage and analysis of "Real Housewives of D.C."

"The Real Housewives of D.C." opens with a thrillingly cheesy montage, combining all your favorite Washington clichés and all your favorite Housewives clichés. The Capitol, the White House, limousines at night. "Most powerful city in the world... all about who you know... proximity to power... social climbers everywhere." And clinking wine glasses, and fashion-show poses, and ladies wiping tears, and then -- dum-DUNH! The Salahis in the back of a limo -- that iconic red sari, and doesn't it just strike the same chord of doom in your heart now as Jackie in her pink suit and pillbox hat? (No? Just me?)

(But remember - Bravo says this isn't going to be all about the Salahis. Hmmm? Let's examine the other lies and truths of this show. Welcome to our weekly annotated recap of "The Real Housewives of D.C.")

Ommanney (center) with her fellow "The Real Housewives of D.C." participants Lynda Erkiletian and Mary Amons. (Stephen J. Boitano)

Read more of the Washington Post's coverage of "The Real Housewives of D.C."

First the British stole all the Oscar roles from our homegrown stars. (Didn't you, Kate Winslet?) Then their TV hosts craftily revamped their hits for U.S. viewers (ahem, Simon Cowell and Jo "Supernanny" Frost) and started colonizing our airwaves.

Shouldn't we worry that Her Majesty's subjects are going to grab the last good paychecks in American showbiz -- in reality TV?

Introducing the curious case of Catherine Ommanney. The U.K. transplant, who moved to the U.S. barely two years ago, seemed an odd choice for a show called "The Real Housewives of D.C." But, as demonstrated in Thursday night's premiere, she's absolutely perfect for it: Husky-voiced and snarky, she rivals Michaele Salahi in cheekbones and scandal (we told you in May about her 2006 kiss-and-tell moment with Prince Harry) and lends a sharp, mean wit to the enterprise.

But have no fear, Snooki: While the Brits are frighteningly gifted at the reality TV game, it's not easy for foreign visitors to get the appropriate work papers for such a gig. How, exactly, Ommanney did so remains unclear.

It seemed like an interesting question, in a town packed with expats and immigration-policy wonks: What kind of visa do you need to be a Bravo star anyway?

Bravo execs would only say that Ommanney has her papers. What kind? They referred us to Half Yard Productions for the details. A Half Yard rep said they would not violate workplace confidentiality and referred us to Ommanney. The star herself kind of blew us off when we asked her in e-mail -- and when our colleague Hank Stuever followed up in person during a chat in Beverly Hills, she got all "Mean Girls" behind our back.

"She sent me this three-page letter about it; it was boring," Ommanney sneered. "I kind of fell asleep halfway through. . . . There's no story there, but thanks for asking."

Reality TV seems like a no man's land -- not quite journalism, which requires one kind of visa; and not quite acting, a separate species altogether. The 30-something mother of two came to the U.S. in the summer of 2008 when she married Newsweek photographer Charles Ommanney -- himself a British citizen and green-card holder. (The Ommanneys are estranged. While friends told us "Housewives" production strained their marriage, Catherine denied it to Stuever.) Having a green card doesn't entitle you to import a spouse into the U.S., though, and Catherine came over credentialed to do work on behalf of Upgrade Productions, a London TV-production outfit, a company rep told us.

What happened next? Chris Bentley, a rep for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said he could not discuss any individual case because of privacy laws. But he said starring on a U.S. television show -- scripted or not -- would require the same O-1 or P-1 visas granted to actors. Which is seemingly not the kind of work Ommanney came here to do.

In general, Bentley said, someone who comes to the U.S. on one visa and then takes a different kind of job could risk invalidating that visa. At the same time, he said, it is possible for someone to get permission to switch their visa category, with help from their new employer, but that takes some jumping-through-hoops.

Did Half Yard and Bravo help Ommanney make the switch? Her attorney, A. Scott Bolden (small town: also attorney for White House crasher Carlos Allen) declined to comment, "other than to confirm that she is in the U.S. legally and has a valid work visa permitting her to be employed in the U.S."

Helen Thomas, 2010. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Helen Thomas's 89th birthday last year was a big to-do: President Obama surprised her in the briefing room with cupcakes and led the press corps in "Happy Birthday." Her 90th this week was much a quieter affair: A group of friends treated her to dinner Tuesday at Mama Ayesha's, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Adams Morgan where she's been a regular for many years. The veteran columnist has barely been seen in public since retiring under fire in June over her controversial comments urging Jews to leave Israel -- but a guest told us she seemed to be in good spirits, reading a short typed speech of gratitude aloud. Lucky Roosevelt, Bill Plante and former Arab League ambassador Clovis Maksoud were among the guests; Ralph Nader, who couldn't make it, sent a letter; most of the group of 25 or 30 were family or friends from outside media or politics.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, 2010. (AP/Harry Hamburg)

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), on a grounded DCA-Houston flight Wednesday, making the best of a long thunderstorm delay by leaving her first-class seat to mingle with the passengers back in coach -- shaking hands, posing for pics with enthusiastic constituents. It's always election season!

Wyclef Jean, 2010. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Yeah, he's really going to go through with it. Rapper Wyclef Jean arrived in Port-au-Prince Thursday afternoon and submitted paperwork declaring his candidacy for president of Haiti. If accepted, he'll be in the race. Jean also announced that he is stepping down as chairman of the Yéle Haiti foundation -- the aid group he founded five years ago, which recently caught flak for overspending on its own expenses. "It's a moment in time and in history," Jean told the Associated Press as he went to hand in his candidacy papers, 10 minutes before the office closed. "It's very emotional."